Automobile steering device.



No. 818,967. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906'.

C. F. JENKINS. AUTOMOBILE STEERING DEVICE. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 01'.1,19o5,

PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

C. F. JENKINS. AUTOMOBILE STEERING DEVICE APPLICATION FILED 0OT.19.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r miiilliiiiiiwitnesses f' v 01/V' w. b \Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES C. DIEUDONNE, OF WASHING-- TON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

AUTOMOBILE STEERING. DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed October 19, 1905. Serial No. 283,423.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANCIS J EN- KINS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Washington, District of'Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Steering Devices, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to decrease the labor of steering largeautomobiles and at the same time increase the factor of safety in fastdriving. This I accomplish by applying power to the steering.

On occasions-as, for example, driving heavy cars through the crowdedstreets of a cit it has been found extremely desirable to e able tosteer with one hand while shifting the gears with the other and at othertimes to change the course of the car more quickly than can be donemanually.

The present invention ermits the instant application of a powerful forceto the steering. This is accomplished without cost or loss of power ofthe engine.

The method employed is disclosed in the following specification andaccompanying drawings, in which- Sheet 1 shows the location of thedevice attached to the steelframe of a popular type of car, while Sheet2 shows theconstruction of the device itself in detail and in partialsec tion, in which A is a cylinder fitted with a piston B, thepiston-rodC of which is attached to the present reach-rod D, extendingforward to the steering-knuckles of the front wheels. This reach-rod, asis well known, is also attached to the arm E by a ball-and-socket jointcontrolled by the steering-post G through the worm and gear in the boxF. On the steering ost is also located-a pinion H, engaging wit the rackI, the other end of which is attached through the socket-joint J to thearm K. This arm or lever is attached at the opposite end to the link L,connecting it with the knuckle of the piston-rod C. Near its middle thelever J is attached to the valve-rod M, controlling the movement of thevalve N.

P is a tank in which pressure is accumulated from the exhaust to whichit is attached between the engine and the mufflenthrough the pipe Q andthe check-valve-Q, which latter prevents a backward escape of theressure. This pressure may be anyt ing,

whether high or low is immaterial, but avera es in the various machinesprobably about fi ty pounds.

The operation of the device is as follows: Pressure having accumulatedin the tank P acts through the gJipe R and the port T to the cylinder Aon 0th sides of the piston B when the slide-valve is in normal orneutral position. Now because of the slack or lost motion in thesteering-gear the steering-post G, through pinion H, rack I, lever J,and'valv erod M, moves the slide-valve N until it uncovers one of theports-for example, Sputting it in communication with the exhaust T. Thislets the ressure escape in a measure from the right en of the cylinder,and the piston. moves over toward that end, turning the front wheels ofthe car. This carries with it the lever K and thus rest-ablishes thesli(le-= valve N in its neutral position, allowing the pressure to.a ainequalize in both ends of the cylinder, 8.1K consequently the pistoncomes to rest. It will be readily understood that if the steering-wheelis continuously turned to the left the slide-valve will continue to remain open until the piston has traveled to the end of the cylinder. Thebehavior of the several arts is therefore as follows: J moves to J ,w'ch moves M to M ,which opens the ort S and allows part of the pressureto esca e rom that end of the cylinder, and the resu tant movement ofthe piston to the right moves L to L, which puts the slide-valve inneutral position, and the pressure on the piston is again e ualized, andit at once comes to rest. While t ese movements have been described insteps, it will be understood the-t the processes are instantaneouslyprogressive and that the movement of the piston begins practicallysimultaneously with the movement of the steering-wheel and follows it upuntil it stops, when the piston instantly stops. It will therefore beseen thateach movement is instantaneous and that the piston keeps thesteering-gear just ahead of the point where the steering-post would takeup the thrust of the steering. It will also be understood that shouldthe power drop to nothing for any reason whatever the driver does notlose control of the machine, the steering simply being then performed inthe usual way with the consequent increased labor. Thus the change frompower-steering to hand-steering is accomplished without loss of time,without shitting any clutches, gears, or other devices, and withoutlosing control of the machine for a single instant, a feature of theutmost importance. It will also be understood that I simply employ whatis now waste energy to give the driver quicker and more positive controlof the machine and at the same time decrease the labor of steering.

' ()l' course it will readily be understood that other means than apiston in a cylinder may be employed in steering, the automobile withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to limitmyself to this alone.

l/Vhat I do claim as my invention, and wish to protect by Letters Patentof the United States, is

l. The combination, with the runninggear of an automobile, of a suitablepower device connected with the steering-whecls, a steering-howlconnectml also with the steering-wheels to turn them in eitherdirection, and means whereby the operation ol the steering-head shallautomatically throw the power devices into and out ol" action.

2. The combination of the running-gear ol' an automobihs, ol a powerdevice connected with the steering-wheels and means whereby the powermay be at will applied to turn the wheels to the right or left.

3. The combination of a steering-post, provided with devices forconnecting with the steering-knuckles of an automobile, whereby theturning ol the post turns the wheels, of a cylinder for lluid underpressure, a piston in the cylinder also connected with thesteeringknuckles, and means whereby the operation ol" the steering-headto turn the wheels in either direction causes the admission of lluidunder pressure to the cylinder compelling the piston to urge theturning'of' the wheels in the same direction.

4. The combination of the running-gear of an automobile, of a cylinderfor iluids under pressure, a piston in the cylinder connected with thesteering-l nueldes, and means for admitting pressure to the cylinder.

5. The combination of the running-gear of an automobile, of a cylinderfor lluid under pressure, a piston in said'cylinder connected with thesteering-wheels, asteeringp )st with. a pinion mounted thereon, thepinion enmeshing with a rack connected to a lever controlling theadmission of the lluid to the cylinder to turn the wheels to the rightor left. I

In testimony whereof I havev allixed my sigm'tture in presence of twowitnesses.

